Multi-compartment purse, handbag, and similar articles



B. STEMBER 3,110,333

MULTI-COMPARTMENT PURSE, HANDBAG, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Nov. 12, 1963 Filed June 28, 1961 INVENTOR. BERNARD STEMBER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,119,333 MULTI-CGMPARTMENT PURSE, HANDBAG, AND Silt/MAR ARTICLES Bernard Stemher, Chatham, N.J., assignor to Aristocrat Leather Products, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New .lersey Filed June 28, 1961, Ser. No. 129,278 9 Claims. ((31. 15030) This invention relates to purses, handbags, and similar articles which have a plurality of compartments and companion closures therefor disposed and operable externally of the bag so that access may be obtained to certain of the compartments without unfastening the closure of another compartment. Articles of this general type are shown in my US. Patents Nos. 2,213,618 and 2,802,501.

One object of the invention is to provide a purse or handbag of the designated type with outer walls and an intermediate double wall which together with said outer walls form three compartments, the arrangement being such that two of the compartments have their access openings opposite to the access opening of the third compartment.

Another object is the provision of an article of the designated type having a double intermediate wall between the outer walls for forming the plurality of compartments, the construction being such that either or both intermediate walls may be made entirely or partly of transparent sheet material so that the contents of the compartment which is defined by the intermediate double wall may be visible through the inner wall of at least one of the other compartments.

A further object is generally to provide an improved article of the type shown by my above mentioned patents, although it will be understood that at least some of the features of my present invention are not necessarily restricted to purses or bags of the specific type previously mentioned herein.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a purse or small handbag, according to the invention, showing the closures of two of the compartments unfastened;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the purse showing the closure for the third compartment partly unfastened;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modification.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the purse coniprises outer walls 113 and 12 secured at their upper ends in conventional channelled U-frarnes 14 ad 16, respectively, and an intermediate double wall 18 secured at its upper end in an intermediate channelled U-frame 29. Said three channelled frames are hinged together for pivotal movement about a common axis by the conventional hinge pins 22. Clasps 24 are provided on frames 14 and and 16 for releasable engagement with a common companion clasp 26 on the intermediate frame 2! The double wall 18 has two confronting parts 28 and 36 which form a pair of inner Walls extending from the intermediate frame 29 to the inturned ends 32 and 34, respectively, of walls and 12, forming three compartments 36, 38 and 46. As here shown, a conventional slide fastener closure 42 is provided for the intermediate compartment 38. One wall 28 of the pair forms one of ice the walls of compartment 36 and the other wall 39 of the pair forms one of the walls of compartment 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer and intermediate walls may be formed in one piece and with an intermediate folded part 44 which defines one edge of the double wall 18 and is secured in frame 29, the opposite ends of the piece being secured in the frames 14 and 16, respectively. The opposite side edges of the walls are secured by the stitching 46. It will be understood that the walls of the purse may be made of any suitable material en ployed for purses, handbags and other receptacles of the same or a similar category and that said walls may be lined or unlined as desired or determined by the manufacturer.

In FIG. 5, is is indicated that the inner double wall 18 or a part, for example the part 3% which corresponds to the part 39 of the wall 18 of FIG. 3, may be formed from a separate piece of material and stitched to the inturned part 34 of wall 12a by the line of stitching 46 which secures the slide fastener stringer to the intermediate wall part. Thus, it will be understood that the confronting pants of the intermediate wall 18 may be in one piece separate from the pieces which form the walls 10' and 12 or that said confronting parts of the intermediate wall may be formed of separate pieces, or that one of said confronting parts may be in one piece with either or" the pieces which form one of the outer walls, and that there may be other variations in the way the outer and intermediate walls are provided.

In accordance with one of the above stated objects of the invention, the purse or bag may have an intermediate compartment-forming wall which has provision for the visability therethrough of at least some of the contents of the intermediate compartment for observation through the wall of another of the compartments when that compartment is opened by unfastening its closure. This can :be readily accomplished by forming the double wall in whole or in part from transparent or translucent plastic sheet material, for example but without limitation a vinyl plastic material and secured by stitching or in any other suitable way to the inturned parts of the outer walls adjacent the slide fastener closure 42, as indicated in FIG. 5, or the outer and intermediate walls 1t 12 and 18' may be formed as illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, in one piece, of such or other plastic sheet material and the parts which form the outer walls may be rendered opaque by means of opaque linings or in any other suitable way.

It will be understood that the closures for the side compartments 36 and 40 are not restricted to closures of the U-frame type and likewise the closure for the intermediate compartment 33 is not restricted to a closure of the slide fastener type, although these closures in the arrangement described and illustrated are preferred. t is also within the scope of this invention to provide a slit or other suitable opening in one or both wall parts 28, 36, preferably in position between the axis of hinge pins 22 and that part of frame 20 which is parallel to said axis, so that access may be had to the contents of the intermediate compartment through one of the other compartments and without unfastening the closure of the intermediate compartment.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in the form and arrangement of parts and in the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made without departing from the underlying ideas or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

'1. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positioned beween said side compartments, eac side compartments comprising an outer wall an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner walls so that said intermedia e comp nt is formed by said inner Walls of said side conipai said intermediate compartment having an a cess opening adjacent one edge of the purse, releasable closure means for said access opening of said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said si e compartments adjacent an edge of the pure opposite to said one edge of the purse said releasable closure means for saiintermediate compartment.

2. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positioned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising an outer wall and an or Wall, and said intermediate compar ment comprising said inner walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls of said side compartments, said intermediate compartment having an access adjacent one edge of the purse, 1 b'ie cl for said access opening of said intermediate cor and releasable closure means for said side compartments adjacent an edge of the purse opposite to said edge of the purse and said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, at least one of said inner Walls having a part through which at least part of the contents of the intermediate compartment may be obse d when one of said side compartments opened.

3. A purse, handbag, or the l ke, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment PG- sitioned between said side compartments, each of s id side compartments comprising an outer wall and an inner wall, and said intermediate compartment compris ng said inner Walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls of said side compartments, releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side compartments remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said releasable closure means for said side compartments comprising three U-shaped frames hinged together and disposed in side by side relation with one of said frames positioned intermediate the other two frames and each of said other two francs being releasably securable to said intermediate frame, said inner Walls being secured to and extending from said intermediate frame to said closure means for said intermediate compartment, said outer Walls of said side compartments being secured, respectively, to said other two frames, respectively, and extending therefrom in said compartment-forming relation with said inner Walls, respectively.

4. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positioned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising an outer Wall and an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner walls of said side compartments, releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for side compartments remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said releasable closure means for said side compartments comprising three U-shaped frames hinged together and disposed in side by side relation with one of said frames positioned intermediate the other two frames and each of said other two frames being releasably securable to said intermediate frame, said inner Walls being secured to and extending from said intermediate frame to said closure means for said intermediate compartment, said outer Walls of sa d side compartments being secured, respectively, to said other two frames, respectively, and extending therefrom in said compartment-forming relation with said inner walls, respectively, at least one of said inner Walls having :a part through which at least part of the contents of the 4 intermediate compartment may be observed when one of said side compartments is opened.

5. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment pooned between said side compartments, each of said or e compartments comp-rising an outer Wall and an inner wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner walls of said side compartments, releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side cornpartnents remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said inner Walls each having a folded edge portion secured to a part of said releasable closure means for the companion side conipertinent.

6. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positi-oned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising an outer wall and an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner Walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls of s'id side compartments, releasable closures means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side compartments remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said releasable closure means for said side con'ipantments comprising three cl-shaped frames hinged together and disposed in side by side relation with one of said frames positioned intermediate the other two frames and each of said other two frames being releasably securable to said intermediate frame, said inner walls being integral with each other and having a folded edge secured to said intermediate frame, said inner walls extending from said intermediate frame to said closure means for said intermediate cornpaflment, and said outer walls of said side compartments being secured, respectively, to said other frames, respectively, and extending therefrom in said compartment-forming relation with said inner Walls, respectively.

7. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positioned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising an outer Wall and an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner Walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls of said side compartments, a slide fastener extending along one edge of said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side compartments at an edge of the purse opposite said edge of said intermediate compartment, each of said closure means being positioned remote from said slide fastener.

8. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compartments and an intermediate compartment positioned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising outer wall and an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said inner walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls of said side compartments, releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side coinpartments remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said first mentioned clo sure means being isposed at one edge of said purse and said last mentioned closure means being disposed at an edge of said purse opposite said one edge, said inner walls having side edges secured to each other and having transverse edges secured to each other along a line spaced from said first mentioned closure means.

9. A purse, handbag, or the like, comprising a pair of side compamtrnents and an intermediate compartment positioned between said side compartments, each of said side compartments comprising an outer Wall and an inner Wall, and said intermediate compartment comprising said 5 inner Walls so that said intermediate compartment is formed by said inner Walls .of said side compartments, releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, and releasable closure means for said side compartments remote from said releasable closure means for said intermediate compartment, said first mentioned closure means being disposed at one edge of said purse and said last mentioned closure means being disposed at an edge of said purse :opposi-te said one edge, said inner Walls having References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kasdan Dec. 25, 1956 Stember Aug. 13, 1957 Neas July 29, 1958 

1. A PURSE, HANDBAG, OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING A PAIR OF SIDE COMPARTMENTS AND AN INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SIDE COMPARTMENTS, EACH OF SAID SIDE COMPARTMENTS COMPRISING AN OUTER WALL AND AN INNER WALL, AND SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT COMPRISING SAID INNER WALLS SO THAT SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT IS FORMED BY SAID INNER WALLS OF SAID SIDE COMPARTMENTS, SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT HAVING AN ACCESS OPENING ADJACENT ONE EDGE OF THE PURSE, RELEASABLE CLOSURE MEANS FOR SAID ACCESS OPENING OF SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT, AND RELEASABLE CLOSURE MEANS FOR SAID SIDE COMPARTMENTS ADJACENT AN EDGE OF THE PURSE OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE EDGE OF THE PURSE AND SAID RELEASABLE CLOSURE MEANS FOR SAID INTERMEDIATE COMPARTMENT. 